


A Thousand Years

by gethbecomesher



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Future Fic, Prompt Fill, Reunions, The Fade, Uthenara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 10:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3377687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gethbecomesher/pseuds/gethbecomesher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The tales of heroics of the inquisitor has come and gone and she is legendary in her deeds. She never meets her elvhen lover again in her lifetime but in her lifetime the elves start a new generation of prosperity. She always feels like she's been somehow guided in her actions. One day she falls asleeps and never awakens, presumably she's able to enter uthenera because of the anchor. This prompt is Solas and Lavellan being reunited in the Fade. THIS SONG PROMPTED MY PROMPT: [A Thousand Years - Christina Perri (Cover by Jasmine Thompson)]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w8Vd_Oz9UI" </p><p>Prompt by Karini from r/Solasmancers on Reddit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Thousand Years

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Karini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karini/gifts).



The carriage bumped and rolled gently along the well traveled road. The sounds of the horses hooves on the stone and dirt accompanied occasionally by chirping birds or rushing water had a pleasantly soporific effect. Up top, driver and footman chatted merrily to each other. They had managed to keep up their conversation for the lengthy duration of the trip, so when silence fell upon them, she knew they were reaching their destination.

“There it is! Just like the paintings. Lady Lavellan, look out your window!” said the driver, thumping a hand on the side of the carriage. Ellana Lavellan smiled to herself. She had been looking. It had been some time since she had seen it last, but precious little had changed.

“Skyhold,” she breathed. She poked her head out the carriage window just enough to see the faces of her two companions. Their mouths were still open in a mask of awe. Skyhold had that effect on people. It had had a very similar effect on her the first time she saw it; it was a feeling she remembered as if it were yesterday, rather than just over fifty years ago. The wind picked up and whipped strands of her white hair free of its confining plait. She tried in vain to smooth the runaway hair back into place with gnarled fingers and laughed at the futility of the gesture. The wind was always blustery in the valley, she remembered. Suddenly she was twenty three again, galloping down the snowy slopes of Skyhold’s valley on her red Hart, bound for an early morning hunting trip or an excursion to somewhere duty called. The sight of the fortress now stoked a fire in her heart that had burned since her first days at Skyhold, but was brighter now than it had been in quite some time. 

She had visited Skyhold many times since she had stepped down as Inquisitor, naturally. Cullen wouldn’t have let her give him the title if she hadn’t promised to return often as his most trusted advisor. She could never stay away for long; she never wanted to. She loved seeing the Inquisition grow and transform. It had remained a powerful force for order and stability, but it had become something much more: a promise, a bridge between the nations of Thedas. World leaders had come to rely on the Inquisition to settle disputes both foreign and domestic. The tiny forum that started in the back room of a Chantry in Haven was now a forum of global importance, keeping peace and promoting understanding between the many diverse factions and nations of Thedas. She was as proud of that as she was proud of her companions from those early days, the companions who fought by her side to defeat Corypheus. Some days all that seemed so long ago, but as she gazed at the growing profile of Skyhold’s ramparts, the memories were fresh again.

The carriage came to a stop just inside the main gate, and the footman hopped down to open her door. She took his offered hand and slid out of her seat, wincing as her joints groaned after the long journey. Her slippered feet hit the worn cobblestones just as a familiar voice called out to her from across the courtyard.

“We were wondering when you were finally going to show,” said Varric. He walked slowly toward her carriage, aided by a distinguished looking ironbark cane.

“Varric!” she exclaimed gleefully. She went to meet him and bent to press a kiss to his forehead. “How long has it been, you old dog? How old are the girls now?”

“You ask me that like they’re still children, Clover,” said Varric, chuckling. “Maya is thirty one and Cassandra will be twenty nine next month. Maya is expecting a child of her own in the Spring, her and that Carta boyfriend of hers. Maker help us all.”

“A grandfather! You must be so proud. How is Lethoriel? Is she here with you?” asked Ellana, looking furtively around.

“Sunshine? Nah, she’s with the girls visiting Daisy and her clan. Some kind of dalish ritual to welcome the baby, you know how it is,” he said. “You’ll uh, have to come visit when the baby comes. We’ll all be in Kirkwall, even Sunshine’s clan. They’d love to see you.” A look of concern passed over Varric’s aged face as if he knew something everyone else didn’t. He had always been so observant.

“Of course, Varric,” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. He covered her hand with his own, and squeezed it briefly before he led her toward Skyhold’s main hall. 

 

The main courtyard looked just as it always had. Soldiers, merchants, and other workers carried on with the business of their day to day as if it had always been and would always be this way. It was easy for Ellana to time travel in her mind. She looked over and saw Blackwall’s shadow by the barn door, heard Sera’s laughter through the open window in the tavern, saw Cassandra throttling the practice dummies near the armory. There was another young woman taking the practice dummies to task now, and the old barn had been upgraded and expanded. The Inquisition had built itself a reputation for producing some of the finest horses in all of Thedas, and it needed the space. As grand and new as the stables looked now, Ellana could still see the old barn underneath. In the window of the barn loft, an old, weather-worn carving of a griffon watched over the courtyard. 

“Come on, there’s something you should see. Call it a detour,” said Varric, tugging Ellana toward the tavern.

The tavern was busy as ever, serving up midday food and drink. The smell of ale, smoke, and old wood drowned Ellana in nostalgia. She ran her fingers over the back of a chair and looked expectantly at Varric. He looked up at her and nodded to the back of the room. She walked around the staircase to get a better look and gasped audibly when she saw what he meant. A life size bronze statue of Iron Bull sat reclining in the huge chair he had claimed as his own during his time with the Inquisition. Stepping closer to admire the statue, she ran her hands over his familiar features. Every detail was exactly how she remembered the big qunari, down to his relaxed, amused expression. The metal was warm from where it sat in the way of the sun, and she felt tears sting the back of her nose as she gripped his huge hand. 

“It is beautiful, is it not?” said a voice from behind her. Ellana spun to see Dorian, resplendent as ever in rich silk robes; his dark grey hair and moustache immaculately groomed. He closed the distance between them quickly, enveloping her in a fierce hug. She sniffled against his chest and she felt him wipe his own eyes before he petted her hair. After a moment, she stepped away, taking in the sight of him like a glass of cool water. 

“Dorian,” she said simply. The mage smiled at her, his expression as sparkling as ever.

“Ah yes, teary reunions,” he said, sniffing slightly. “I am overjoyed to see you, Ellana.”

“When did this happen?” asked Ellana, indicating the statue of Bull. Dorian’s gaze lingered on the statue again, and he stepped forward to rest a hand on Bull’s metal forearm. 

“It’s been in the works since, well, you know,” said Dorian, swallowing hard. “We’ve been working on it for a long time. Seeing it here makes it fresh again, rather than something that happened ten years ago.”

“Cullen tells me the artist finished work on him a few months ago,” offered Varric. Dorian nodded and smiled at him.

“Yes. It was Krem who found the artist. He was leading the Chargers on some run in Antiva, I believe. He wanted to commemorate Bull personally, in a way he could visit. With the cremation, it was - something was missing,” said Dorian. Ellana looped her arm in his elbow and patted his forearm.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” she said. 

“No, it’s fine. It was what he wanted - all of it. He wanted to die fighting, he wanted his body to be burned. I have come to terms with it, and I am glad for this,” he said. His hand traveled to rest tenderly on Bull’s bronze cheek. 

“So am I. It is a nice way to say goodbye,” she said, smiling sadly. After a moment, she turned and tilted her head to Dorian. “Is Krem really still leading the Chargers?” Dorian barked a laugh.

“Yes, Maker bless him. The old man is tough as nails. You couldn’t drag him away from Bull’s Chargers for anything,” he said. 

“Why am I not at all surprised,” said Ellana. She looked at Varric, who nodded at her. “I think Cullen is waiting for me, Dorian. Will you join us?”

“In a bit,” he said, offering her and Varric one of his trademark half-smiles. Ellana followed Varric out of the tavern, looking back at Dorian and the memorial statue of Iron Bull as the door to the tavern closed behind her.

 

“Maker’s breath! Look at you! You look well.” exclaimed Cullen, standing up slowly from his seat at the old war table, a tired smile on his careworn face. Ellana crossed to him and hugged her old friend. “How was the journey? You made good time.”

“Fine, fine. Everything’s fine,” said Ellana. “Is Cassandra here yet? I mean - Divine Victoria.”

“Yes, Inquisitor. Her party arrived just before you did. I believe she is settling into her rooms now,” said Cullen. 

“I’ll go find the others,” said Varric, exiting with a slight bow.

“Who else is here already?” asked Ellana. “And why do you still call me Inquisitor, Cullen? The title has been yours for how long, now?” 

“You will always be the Inquisitor, Inquisitor. Actually, Evelyn has taken over much of the day to day around here, so the title has moved on once again.”

“Excellent!” exclaimed Ellana, clapping her hands together gleefully. “I hoped it would be her. She is so like her father.”

“You’ll make me blush, Inquisitor. Anyway, to answer your question: you’ve seen Varric already. Dorian and Vivienne arrived last week on Circle business, and both have remained to see you and the Divine, respectively. Er, not that Vivienne doesn’t want to see you too,” said Cullen, stumbling over his words. Ellana inclined her head to him. “Josephine is around here somewhere. Her wife and their son are here as well. And Sera mentioned that she would be here sometime today, providing she gets away cleanly from her office in Halamshiral.”

“Ah, I suppose that’s everyone then,” said Ellana. She stared off into the distance for a moment. “It seems we are fewer every time we get together, doesn’t it, Cullen?” 

“We’re getting old. It’s part of the process,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I miss Leliana too, Inquisitor. I can’t believe it’s already been a year.”

“She never thought she’d die old and in her bed. That’s one thing the spymaster didn’t see coming,” said Ellana. Cullen chuckled and nodded.

“Isn’t that the truth,” he said. “May we all be as lucky.” Cullen looked meaningfully at her and she patted his shoulder. 

 

Cullen led Ellana to the rooms she used to call her own above the main hall. He had already directed the servants to bring her trunks to the room, and she looked forward to the prospect of changing out of her dusty riding clothes. It had been decades since she had last stepped foot in her old quarters, and the place was exactly as she had left it. It was clear that Cullen nor any of his offspring had claimed it for themselves. It remained perfectly preserved; all the more easy for the ghosts to find her. 

She stopped for a moment, and just stood in the center of her room. The draperies were the same, she remembered picking them up from a shop in Redcliffe, as was the bed that she had bought in Val Royeaux with - old memories, she thought. This happened every time she came back to Skyhold. She was old enough now, had put enough distance between most of the more painful memories, but him; he was the wound that would never truly heal. She had learned to live with it, of course, out of necessity. She’d had other lovers, but none of them seemed to stick. She carried him with her in memory, through her anger and finally through her acceptance and forgiveness.

She thought of the afternoon she spent in her room when she had decided to leave the Inquisition, choosing which of the precious memories she had collected throughout her adventures to bring along with her. Her work with the elves was important; both personally and to Thedas, and the title of Inquisitor would be a hindrance rather than a help in that respect. She knew that and so she had to leave. Life has those transitions, she supposed. She never regretted it, but she still looked upon her time at Skyhold as some of the best and happiest moments of her life. 

She took her time laying out the outfit she’d chosen to wear. It was her favorite dress: a soft, flowing lilac silk, sewn in the dalish tradition and given to her by Clan Sabrae on the occasion of their inclusion in her Elvhen Nations project. They were the last clan in Ferelden to join, and they completed the project, which sought to promote elvhen welfare, trade and understanding between the dalish, city elves, and their respective governments. When she wore the dress she was reminded of all that; her pride never faded. 

She brushed out her long, white hair thoroughly and retied it, rolling the thick braid into a bun at the nape of her neck. Inspecting herself in the mirror as she had done so many times before, she nodded, satisfied. Everyone was at Skyhold. Tonight would be the night. She found her way downstairs to meet her dearest friends for dinner one last time.

 

The table was set and the food was being brought out when she re-entered the main hall. Sera caught her eye and flashed a grin, walking briskly up to greet her. She had grown into a powerful woman, and every time Ellana saw her, she felt a swell of pride. She was dressed simply, but in well-tailored clothes and she wore her long grey hair tied up in a braid that circled her head. She stopped just in front of Ellana before gathering her into a hug.

“It’s been too long, Ellana,” Sera whispered hoarsely.

“I don’t make it to Halamshiral as often as I used to, Lady Mayor,” said Ellana. Sera grinned at that.

“Don’t you call me that, not you,” she said, doing her best to hide a bashful grin. 

“You should be proud, like I told you when you were first appointed,” said Ellana. Sera nodded.

“And so I am, Lady Inquisitor,” she teased, laughing at Ellana’s wry smirk. 

The two women walked back to the full dining table. Varric and Dorian sat next to each other. Vivienne sat alongside Dorian, and Josephine sat to her right. Ellana stopped by Cassandra - Divine Victoria’s seat at the head of the table and knelt, grasping the older woman’s wrinkled hand in both of her own. She smiled and inclined her head to Ellana, the old spark still very much alive in the Divine’s eyes. She took a seat at the right of Cassandra, indicating that Cullen should take the seat at the other end of the table. She nodded to Vivienne and Josephine, who both waved and smiled at her. Cassandra cleared her throat.

“How long has it been since we have all met here at Skyhold?” she asked. Her Nevarran accented voice was ravaged by age, but still very clearly her. Murmurs sounded from around the table. 

“It was after Blackwall went to his Calling,” said Sera. 

“That long?” asked Josephine. Sera nodded. 

“Thirty five years ago,” said Varric. 

“Then it is good that Ellana called us all here now,” said Cassandra. “Maker knows I have missed all of you dearly. Even you, Varric.” Soft chuckling chorused from around the table. 

“Same to you, Seeker,” said Varric. 

“This was meant to be some kind of toast,” said Cassandra, flustered. Ellana put a hand over one of Cassandra’s, and she continued. “I would like to honor Ellana for the work she has done for the Inquisition and the elves of Thedas. I never thought I would live to see the elves reclaim the Dales. To see Halamshiral given back to them by the Orlesian throne, by Lady Briala - that was truly remarkable. I believe that we are close to the twenty second anniversary of that historic moment. Let us never forget our hand in it, nor Ellana’s tireless efforts to ensure that the elves of Orlais were able to thrive anew in their ancient city.” All around, hands thumped on the wood of the table and called out in appreciation. “May the Maker bless and keep us all.”

“I just wanted to say how very glad I am that you all were able to come. It means - It means a great deal to me,” Ellana swallowed hard. “I look around this table, around Skyhold, and I see what we did together. I see what we made, our legacy. That is something that couldn’t have been accomplished without every single one of us. I wanted us to meet here, now, today, because you never know when the next time we will all see each other will be. It shouldn’t just be at times of mourning, though I would like to raise a glass to absent friends.” Around the table, glasses raised to calls of “here here”.

“To Blackwall,” said Sera.

“To The Iron Bull,” said Dorian. 

“To Leliana,” said Josephine. 

“To Cole. Wherever he is, I hope he’s okay,” said Ellana. She swallowed, feeling her heart thundering in her chest. Saying his name felt like invoking something every time. She willed her jaw to unclench and her mouth to form the words. “And - to Solas.” Everyone drank to that. With the toast done, they all filled their plates with the food in front of them. Platters of roast venison and vegetables were passed from person to person, with grunts of thanks from stuffed mouths.

The dinner lasted for hours, as their dinners often did. The party laughed and talked until they were all hoarse, and then even after that. Cullen told stories of Evelyn: his daughter the Inquisitor, and her little ones. It seemed as if Skyhold was full of Rutherfords these days. Varric countered with boasting tales of his own girls and, of course, the announcement of his first grandchild coming in the Spring, to which he invited the entire party. Vivienne and Dorian shared the progress of the Orlesian and Tevinter circles, respectively. The cooperation of the dalish mages in the past handful of years had advanced magical research throughout Thedas dramatically. It would never have been possible without the writ of the Divine, stating that the Circles of Magic were strictly voluntary. It had been one of Cassandra’s first acts as Divine Justinia, just as she had explained to Ellana all those years ago when she speculated about what she would do as Divine. Sera was pleased with the progress of Halamshiral as a self-sustaining city, though she still seemed a bit baffled as to how she hadn’t run it into the ground yet. Josephine gushed that her son expressed an interest in joining the Inquisition, to which everyone applauded enthusiastically. 

Ellana stood, feeling strangely compelled to exit at the high point. She made her goodbyes around the table and slipped out into the courtyard. She knew she should be nervous, it would make all the sense in the world if she was, but she was as calm as she had ever been about anything. Ellana took two steps before the door to the main hall opened and closed again behind her.

“Are you sure this is what you want, Ellana?” said Cassandra. Ellana turned around slowly, contemplating.

“It is. This is what was meant for me, Cassandra. I don’t know how to explain it better than that,” she said. 

“The Well?” asked Cassandra. Ellana nodded. 

“Thank you for doing this for me. For coming all the way out here, I - I feel rather selfish, but I needed us to be together here one last time, and I wanted them to have a sense of closure when I, well,” she said, smiling sadly at Cassandra. “You can give that to them.” Cassandra moved to put her hands on Ellana’s shoulders. Looking deeply into her eyes, Cassandra finally smiled slightly before pulling Ellara in for a hug.

“You are the least selfish person I know, Ellana. They need this as much as you do,” said Cassandra, releasing her.

“Whatever happens,” said Ellana, “know that I’m all right. Tell them. I’m not afraid.” Cassandra bowed slightly to her. “May the Dread Wolf take me.”

 

She moved across the courtyard as if she was being pulled by an invisible rope, leaving Cassandra to find her way back into the main hall. She reached the door and opened it, and was somehow surprised to find no strange phantom lights or whispers. At least, no more than the whispers that always accompanied her. They encouraged her now, enthusiastically. She closed the door behind her and faced the eluvian. 

“It belongs here, I see that now,” Morrigan had said before she left. And so it did. Skyhold suited it, and an aura of rightness surrounded it. It hummed as if it knew her purpose. Though she was resolute, the thrill of adrenaline still coursed through her veins at the thought of one last adventure. Ellana hovered her hand over the dusty surface of the mirror, guided by the voices, by Mythal’s will. 

“Heart beats fast, colors and promises. How to be brave?” said a voice from the corner. Ellana gasped and spun. 

“Cole!” she exclaimed, truly surprised for the first time in years. She walked to him, and wonderingly brushed his long, white hair away from his face as she always used to do. He had been gone, had disappeared as mysteriously as he came to her. One day, he was nowhere to be found. She took the fact that she could remember him as a good sign. He was a man now, his once boyish features now etched and lined, but he was still Cole. He returned just as she knew he would, someday. She stood on her toes to kiss his forehead. 

“I came to help,” he said. “I heard you on both sides of the veil. A voice once forgotten, now unblocked. Waiting, watching, welcoming.” Ellana stared at him. 

“Do you hear the whispers, Cole?” she asked. 

“The whispers, yes. The shadow. I felt your need, but I was sent as much as I was called.”

“Thank you, Cole,” she said. She approached the eluvian. The closer she stepped to it, the lighter she felt. 

“Time stands still, beauty in all she is, I will be brave,” said Cole. She looked back at him for a moment, and he smiled shyly at her, then she turned back to the eluvian and pressed her palm to its cold, hard surface. 

The eluvian glowed to life, shedding its coat of dust and warming under her fingers. Her heart felt so light and full that she could have burst from happiness. Her burden, her well of sorrows, poured forth from her hand into the mirror. The voices caressed her mind as they left, whispering their thanks. Her face ached from smiling and she felt tears flowing freely down her face. Her sorrows had been lifted, they were gone, she was free. The Mythal’s essence had helped her, guided her all these years, but she always felt the weight of it. The weight of thousands of years of knowledge and pain. The eluvian flashed a bright blue before the light faded from its surface. Cole caught her as she stumbled backward. He laid her down on the stone floor, positioning himself so that her head was in his lap. He stroked her hair with soft touches of his rough fingers.

“Watching you stand alone, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow,” said Cole. 

“Where is that - who is that coming from, Cole?” asked Ellana. She remained elated, but she had utterly lost her strength. It wouldn’t be long now, she knew. She could already feel the dark closing in. 

“One step closer, one step closer,” said Cole. Ellana closed her eyes and immediately felt a coolness wash over her. She had never been as comfortable as she was right then. She could simply lay there forever. “Time has brought your heart to me,” whispered Cole, and then he was gone.

 

When she opened her eyes, it was as if she was opening them for the first time. She was a girl again, just as she had been when the Inquisition began. Perhaps I chose this, she thought. Around her was a lush, green field not unlike the fields of the Dales. A stream babbled along the ground by her feet. Perhaps I chose all of this, she thought. She looked down. She was still wearing her lilac gown, but it was tailored to this body, not the one she had left behind. She ran her hands over it, savoring the feeling of the fabric against her pain-free hands. Before she looked up, she knew what she would see. Who she would see. She kept her eyes firmly on the grass at her feet.

“Vhenan,” he said. Ellana bit her lip, her heart in her throat. She knew, but she couldn’t bear the doubt that this could be some kind of manipulation of the Fade. Something she had wished so desperately for that she’d recreated his voice from her mind. She felt cool fingers on her chin, tilting her head up. She allowed it, fluttering her eyelashes up to meet his face. She let out the sob she didn’t know she had been holding in. He grabbed her tightly, and she knew it was him. She remembered the strength of that embrace. “Vhenan,” he whispered again. “Don’t cry.”

“Solas,” Ellana sobbed. “You - you’re really -”

“Time has brought your heart to me,” he said softly into her hair. She regained a measure of her composure and looked up at him. 

“As I knew it would,” she said. 

“The Well?” he asked, knowing the answer.

“The Well,” she replied. 

He took her hand in his, twining their fingers together and they walked. She wondered vaguely how long this idyllic Spring afternoon would go on. Forever, perhaps, if she wished it. She could put herself anywhere in the Fade she liked, he had taught her that. After a while, they stopped and sat together in a clearing near a pond. It looked very like an old campsite they had staked in Redcliffe Village, so many years ago. Ellana’s eyes could not get enough of him, but her hands seemed to fear to tread. He regarded her cautiously as well. Ellana could see all his unsaid words in those eyes, in the slight tremble of his lips. 

“You did the right thing, Fen’Harel,” she said, averting her eyes from his gaze. She heard his slight gasp and felt him stir next to her.

“You - knew?” he sounded startled and confused, but mostly relieved.

“The voices, the whispers. One day I heard you in them. I thought I must just be imagining it, but I knew I wasn’t. I knew. And then they told me,” she said. One corner of his mouth turned up in a lopsided smile. 

“I should have told you myself. That evening in Crestwood when I -”

“No,” she said firmly. “You did the right thing. I would have followed you - anywhere.” Her voice cracked slightly. “You gave me my life.”

“I have watched you. You were never alone,” he said. He leaned toward her, tentatively, as if waiting for invitation. She let a small gasp escape her lips, and it was all he needed. He pressed his lips to hers, parting them with his tongue slowly, savoring. He was remembering as much as she was and her hands flew to the old familiar places, twining around his neck and stroking the back of his head. 

“You did the right thing,” she repeated, for as much her sake as his. “I had a good life. You should see it. It’s so much of what we dreamed of.” He broke away then, putting her at arms length and looking into her eyes.

“I am so - proud - of you, vhenan. So proud,” he said. She felt her mouth falter as tears touched the corners of her eyes again. He brushed a hand at her cheek and she rushed into him, pulling him closer as if skin to skin were still too far away. “I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered at her ear. “I’ll have you here for a thousand years, and then for a thousand more.”

[](http://imgur.com/hSR9e9K)

  
[Reunited](http://karinini.deviantart.com/art/Reunited-514760622) by [Karinini](http://karinini.deviantart.com/) on [DeviantArt](http://www.deviantart.com)


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